Matik at Hackney's Village Green Market

Rain or shine Matik will be at the Village Green market this Sunday 13th July.

Hackney Down Studio's own unique market will be open from 11am till 6pm showcasing some of the most delicious food stalls and some of the trendiest designers in town: whisky and dill cured salmon, horseradish creamy mini bagel from Nino's Food & co; black vinyl stout from Signature Brew; knitted make up purse and necklaces by Knitted in the Kitchen and of course Matik's lovely collection of fair trade children clothing and home textile will be there for you. And if you mention this blog you get a 15% off on all Matik's products!

MADE Jewellery - By the people, for the people

I just discovered last day in Topshop this new fair trade brand called Made that makes lovely jewellery in Kenya. They work with people from various ages and backgrounds to create beautiful products using traditional skills and fashion led design. 

They really have a fantastic range of rings, bracelets, necklaces and other accessories, mostly made from reclaimed brass, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Topshop was stocking them. 

Reading through their website I was very impressed with the work they do at local level and the ethic behind their brand. I particularly like the fact that most of the material they use is reclaim brass, which they tend to source from local individuals, at a fair price, thereby helping to both strengthen the local economy and empower small businesses; and of course reclaim brass, means that they are also super environmentally friendly. 

Basically, they tick all the boxes of a good fair trade brand and I will definitely look up to them in progressing my work with Matik.

So, if you are looking for  something beautiful, but a bit different, well check them out as they are definitely worth it.

Of course, I couldn't resist and ended up buying these gorgeous hoops earrings. Love them!!

A new market for the little ones

We are very pleased to announce that Matik has been invited to hold a stall at The Russet's new Toddler Market this Thursday 12th June from 10am to 3pm.

What a perfect time to show our beautiful collection of children clothing...the sun is shining and summer is finally in the air.

Come to choose the perfect outfit for your little ones, whether is a colourful batik piece or a flowery hand block-print, all our dresses are made with care by happy women in Ghana and India.

Is being labeled Fair Trade fair enough?

I read an article in the Observer about the instrument of fair trade and its limitations to benefit those who it’s supposed to help. The article cites research which showed that Fair Trade’s focus on the producers rather than the workers meaning that in many Fair Trade certified companies workers are paid a lower wage than those working in uncertified companies.  Not only this, but many people also do not benefit from the "community" projects supported with funds generated by the "social premium" consumers pay for Fairtrade products. 

Of course this is only one article and no doubt the Fair Trade organisation have many and sound rebuttal arguments, and I certainly don’t advocate a “don’t buy fair trade” approach, however it did serve to bring into focus some of the principles I have followed in setting up Matik. 

First and foremost, this project is about nothing if it is not about the workers. Both my partner suppliers in Ghana and in India are set up for the benefit of their workers. This is their reason for being and the trade only serves them so far as they achieve their goal of a better now and better future for the workers and their families.

What is more, I know this, because I can and have visited them, to see how they work. In fact, of course I chose them because of what they do.

So Matik means personal connection, no middle organisation, and 100% focus on the rights of workers. Could I get that with the Fair Trade endorsement? Could my customers be assured of it if they saw the label? I’m not sure that they could. And if they could not should I really be requesting my partners the time, effort, and expense necessary in acquiring a fair trade certificate? Time, effort and expense that would otherwise be spent on the projects themselves.

So these were my thought processes and this article brought them into relief. By working with few partners, we have the opportunity to know them well, spend time with them, talk to the women who make the products, find out more about their lives and what we can do to help them. Our commitment to them is also our commitment to our customers. What we find out, we will report to you. And by doing it this way I hope we will reduce a little bit the distance between who makes the product and who buys it.

My new blog!

Matik has a new blog, where i will keep you up to date on all the exciting happenings here at Matik Boutique.